ENDICOTT, NY--October 2, 2013: King County Metro Transit in Seattle, Washington has
selected BAE Systems’ HybriDrive Series-E electric drive system to
power 120 New Flyer Xcelsior™ buses. This is the largest order to
date of the HybriDrive Series-E propulsion system, which enables electric
drive modes to eliminate emissions from the vehicle and to reduce engine
idling.

“Power from the on-board generator is either stored in the
batteries or drawn to run the electric traction motor and the drive train.
The technology provides our customers with a path to an all-electric
vehicle.”

HybriDrive Series-E can advance transit agencies toward all-electric
buses, making silent operation of the vehicle possible and challenging fuel
alternatives like diesel and compressed natural gas with its clean,
efficient functions. The electric drive not only reduces noise in and
around bus stops, but it represents a greater impact on environmental
sustainability for the communities in which it operates.

“HybriDrive Series-E is categorized as hybrid drive system, but
the fact is, it powers a bus completely electrically,” said Steve
Trichka, vice president and general manager of HybriDrive Solutions for BAE
Systems. “Power from the on-board generator is either stored in the
batteries or drawn to run the electric traction motor and the drive train.
The technology provides our customers with a path to an all-electric
vehicle. ”

BAE Systems’ HybriDrive Series propulsion system powers nearly
4,000 buses worldwide today and is the most successful series system in
operation. Buses equipped with the HybriDrive system have travelled more
than 600 million miles, prevented more than 520,000 tons of CO2 emissions,
and saved more than 38 million gallons of diesel fuel.

“With these new buses, King County takes another step towards
improving the environmental sustainability of our region,” said Kevin
Desmond, general manager of King County Metro Transit. “The buses
will be delivered with advanced electrically controlled programming that
turns the engine off at bus stops and depots. In addition, the vehicles
will have all electrically driven components that use the vehicle’s
electric energy instead of power from the diesel engine.”

The development and production of these hybrid propulsion systems will
be conducted at BAE Systems’ Endicott, New York facility, with the
first customer delivery scheduled for 2014.